Last year on America’s Got Talent I became a huge fan of a group called Fighting Gravity, a blacklight illusion dance team that wowed the audience with their creativity and good timing (and ended placing third). This year on the show there’s another similar group I love, Team iLuminate, that dance in the dark with ligthed suits. All of this glow and dance in the dark business inspired me to dream up my own skit which is a bit of a rip-off of Gravity but hopefully hasn’t been done quite like this. (It may involve a little more work and money than the usual skit)Actors needed: at least ten (one for God, one for the devil, two for demons, three for humans, three for prop handling) but there’s room for another demon, more humans, and more prop handlers

Props: blacklights on front stage, blacklight paint, black cloth, painted objects on sticks, strings, or held (can be as simple as shapes or compex as dollar bills, CDs, etc)

Costumes: God wears all white and gold if you like (a robe perhaps?), prop handlers wear all black and black masks/face covering to be unseen, demons wear all black except for red blacklight makeup on faces and hands OR red BL paint on gloves and masks, devil wears black clothes (maybe robe?) with streaks of different colors of bright BL paint, humans wear white clothes stained with black spots and their own uniquely colored facepaint/masks.

Music: appropriate rock, techno, or intense orchestral song (if I find a good one I’ll let you know)

God stands on the left side of the stage and Satan on the right. A human stands in between them concealed behind a black cloth held by the prop handlers. When the music starts the cloth drops to reveal the human. He/she looks to God, then the devil, both motioning for them, and walks over to God. He puts a pure white robe over them, hugs them, then they raise raise their hands to God in surrender and let Him take them and move them as He wants.

A second human appears in center stage like the first and also sees both God and the devil motioning for them. The first human quickly walks over to them, God’s hands on his/her shoulders, and the first uses their hands to tell the second about Jesus and how He changed them. The second comes to God like the first and is about to accept another robe. Satan acts angry then waves his hands around to make several flashy objects “float” (thanks to the prop handlers) rhythmically around the second’s head. The second human gradually looks away from God at the objects circling him/her, then walks back to the middle. (The objects can’t move in front of them, of course, or else the audience would see whatever is holding them).

The objects spin around #2 and they stare transfixed at them, look away from God, dancing with the objects while the devil and the demons also dance. Slowly the objects move towards the devil and so does #2, but the first human runs back to them and tries again to bring them back to God, motioning desperately. #2 shakes their head and keeps moving towards the devil, then the demons grab #2 by the ankles and pull them towards the devil. #1 tries to pull them back, God’s hands holding their wrists, but (s)he swats them away, still getting closer, until they fall on their chest and the demons are dragging him/her. #1 doesn’t give up and keeps trying with the same results, then God Himself reaches a hand to them but they still resist. #2 is dragged behind another black cloth and the devil and demons throw up their hands in victory while God and #1 mourn.

Finally, a third human appears, and immediately falls into the same trap the first one did, mesmerized by the objects. They go through the same thing but this time turn back and accept God and take the robe.

To end this, I have two visions. First, several humans appear in the middle and the two saints look at God then the people, preparing to witness to them. Second, all actors turn to look at the audience, the prop handlers take off their masks to reveal ugly masks, and the lights come on with the music still playing to ask the audience “what will you do now?”

Extra ideas: the characters can be standing on a raised platform and off the right edge is Hell, as long as you’re careful how you drag them off it. With more prop handlers you could pick up the humans and carefully make them float for short times. (Gravity used fake legs so don't try to be too dangeous!) Two actors could play angels if desired.

Other possible names: Fighting Deception, Fighting Illusions, The Light of Life, The Lights of Darkness, etc.

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Here’s four of Fighting Gravity’s five acts on AGT as an example. (Their fifth was much better than their fourth but I’ll let you find it yourself) Just mute at :27-29 and 3:33-3:35 when Nick says omg, sorry about that.

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